militarywikiaorg-20200222-history
Battle of Belgium order of battle
This is the order of battle for the Battle of Belgium, a World War II battle between German and Western Allies in Belgium between 10–28 May 1940. Allied armed forces Belgian air service The Belgian Air Service (Aéronautique Militaire Belge) comprised three main aerial regiments:Aéronautique Militaire Belge Order of Battle * 1er Régiment d'Aéronautique (1st Air Regiment - Observation and Army Cooperation aircraft) * 2e Régiment d'Aéronautique (2nd Air Regiment - Equipped with Fighter aircraft ) * 3e Régiment d'Aéronautique (3rd Air Regiment - Reconnaissance and Bombers aircraft) The Aéronautique Militaire Belge was reinforced by the Royal Air Force: * RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (Air Vice-Marshal P H L Playfair) * No. 14 Group RAF (Group Captain P.F. Fullard) Belgian Army The strength of the Belgian Army extended to seven Corps: ** Belgian I Corps *** 1st Infantry Division *** 4th Infantry Division *** 7th Infantry Division ** Belgian II Corps *** 6th Infantry Division *** 11th Infantry Division *** 14th Infantry Division ** Belgian III Corps *** 1st Chasseurs Ardennais *** 2nd Infantry Division *** 3rd Infantry Division ** Belgian IV Corps *** 9th Infantry Division *** 15th Infantry Division *** 18th Infantry Division ** Belgian V Corps *** 12th Infantry Division *** 13th Infantry Division *** 17th Infantry Division ** Belgian VI Corps *** 5th Infantry Division *** 10th Infantry Division *** 16th Infantry Division ** Belgian VII Corps *** 8th Infantry Division *** 2nd Chasseurs Ardennais ** Belgian Cavalry Corps Belgian Cavalry Corps Order of Battle, 10 May 1940 *** 1st Cavalry Division *** 2nd Cavalry Division Cavalry * Brussels Cavalry Corps - which had the following: Corps Staff *1st and 2nd Cavalry Divisions, both of which were partially motorized. Each with three Mixed Cavalry Regiments each of which had a Horse cavalry battalion, a motorcycle battalion, an armored car squadron, and a training squadron *Corps Artillery Regiment *Bicycle Pioneer battalion Ardennes * Chasseurs Ardennais - 1st and 2nd Chasseurs Ardennais, both of which were partially motorized. French First Army Group French 1st Army * French Cavalry Corps ** 2nd Light Mechanized Division ** 3rd Light Mechanized Division * French 3rd Corps ** 1st Moroccan Infantry Division ** 2nd North African Infantry Division * French 4th Corps ** 32nd Infantry Division * French 5th Corps ** 5th North African Infantry Division ** 101st Infantry Division * Belgian VII Corps ** 2nd Chasseurs Ardennais ** 8th Infantry Division French 2nd Army * Direct reporting: ** 2nd Light Cavalry Division ** 5th Light Cavalry Division ** 1st Cavalry Brigade * French 10th Corps ** 3rd North African Infantry Division ** 5th Light Cavalry Division ** 55th Infantry Division ** 71st Infantry Division * French 18th Corps ** 1st Colonial Infantry Division ** 41st Infantry Division French 7th Army * Direct reporting: ** 21st Infantry Division ** 60th Infantry Division ** 68th Infantry Division * French 1st Corps ** 1st Light Mechanized Division ** 25th Motorized Division * French 16th Corps ** 9th Motorized Division French 9th Army * Direct reporting: ** 4th North African Infantry Division ** 53rd Infantry Division * French 2nd Corps ** 4th Light Cavalry Division ** 5th Motorized Division * French 11th Corps ** 1st Light Cavalry Division ** 18th Infantry Division ** 22nd Infantry Division * French 41st Corps ** 61st Infantry Division ** 102nd Fortress Division ** 3rd Spahi Brigade British Expeditionary Force General Lord Gort * Directly reporting: ** 5th Infantry Division ** 12th (Eastern) Division ** 23rd (Northumbrian) Division ** 46th Infantry Division * British I Corps - Lieutenant-General Michael Barker ** 1st Infantry Division ** 2nd Infantry Division ** 48th (South Midland) Division * '''British II Corps - Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke ** 3rd Infantry Division ** 4th Infantry Division ** 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division * British III Corps - Lieutenant-General Ronald Adam ** 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division ** 44th (Home Counties) Division German armed forces German Army Group B Commanded by Colonel General Fedor von Bock *(Chief of Staff - Lt.Gen. Hans von Salmuth). * German Sixth Army —Colonel General ' Walter von Reichenau' ** (Chief of Staff - Maj.Gen. Friedrich Paulus). ** IV Corps - Gen.of Infantry Viktor von Schwedler *** 15th Infantry Division - Maj.Gen. Ernst-Eberhard Hell (reserve)Mitcham 1985, p. 52. *** 205th Infantry Division - Lt.Gen. Ernst Richter ** XI Corps- Lt.Gen. Joachim von Kortzfleisch *** 7th Infantry Division - Maj.Gen. Eccard von GablenzMitcham 1985, p. 46. *** 211th Infantry Division - Maj.Gen. Kurt Renner *** 253rd Infantry Division - Lt.Gen. Fritz KuhneMitcham 1985, p. 185. ** IX CorpsMitcham 1995, p. 505. ** XVI Corps *** 3rd Panzer DivisionMitcham 1985, p. 352. *** 4th Panzer DivisionMitcham 1985, p. 352. ** XXVII CorpsMitcham 1995, p. 509. * German Eighteenth Army — Georg von Küchler ** Reserves *** 208th Infantry DivisionMitcham 1985, p. 163. *** 225th Infantry Division *** 526th Infantry Division ** SS "Verfügungstruppe" Division ** 7th Airborne DivisionMitcham 1985, p. 422. ** 22nd Air Landing Infantry Division ** 9th Panzer DivisionMitcham 1985, p. 360. ** 207th Infantry Division ** X Corps *** SS "Adolf Hitler" Division *** 227th Infantry Division *** 1st Cavalry Division ** XXVI Corps *** 256th Infantry Division *** 254th Infantry DivisionMitcham 1985, p. 185. *** SS "Der Führer" Division Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe order of battle for operations over Belgium:Hooton 2007, pp. 45-48. *'IV. Fliegerkorps' (General der Flieger, Generaloberst Alfred Keller) **''Lehrgeschwader 1'' (Stab. I., II., III., IV. Düsseldorf) **''Kampfgeschwader 30'' (Stab. I., II., at Oldenburg III. at Marx) **''Kampfgeschwader 27'' (III. at Wunstorf) *''Jagdfliegerführer 2'' (Oberst Kurt-Bertram von Döring) **''Jagdgeschwader 26'' (Stab., II at Dortmund, III. at (Essen-Mühlheim).) **''Jagdgeschwader 3'' (III. at Hopsten) **''Jagdgeschwader 51'' (Stab. at Bönninghardt, I. at Krefeld) **''Jagdgeschwader 27'' (II. Bönninghardt) **''Jagdgeschwader 20'' (I. at Bönninghardt) *'VIII. Fliegerkorps' (Generalmajor Wolfram von Richthofen) **''Jagdgeschwader 27'' (Stab.,I.) **''Jagdgeschwader 21'' **''Jagdgeschwader 1'' (I.) **''Sturzkampfgeschwader 76'' (I.) **''Sturzkampfgeschwader 2'' (Stab., I., III.) **''Sturzkampfgeschwader 77'' (Stab., I, II.) **''Lehrgeschwader 1'' (IV(St.)) **''Lehrgeschwader 2'' II.(Shl) **''Kampfgeschwader 77'' (Stab., I., II., III.) Citations References *Mitcham, Samuel. Hitler's Legions: The German Army Order of Battle, World War II. Dorset Press, New York. 1985. ISBN 0-88029-214-8 (Formerly ISBN 0-8128-2992-1) *Hooton, E.R. (2007). Luftwaffe at War; Blitzkrieg in the West. London: Chervron/Ian Allen. ISBN 978-1-85780-272-6. *Gunsburg, Jeffrey A., 'The Battle of the Belgian Plain, 12–14 May 1940: The First Great Tank Battle', The Journal of Military History, Vol. 56, No. 2. (Apr., 1992), pp. 207–244. *Belgian Cavalry Corps Order of Battle, 10 May 1940 *Aéronautique Militaire Belge Order of Battle Battle of Belgium (1940) Order of Battle Battle of Belgium (1940) Battle of Belgium (1940)